Retail Online Integration August 2010
4 Keys to Improving Holiday Inventory Management
From an inventory management perspective, the fourth quarter holiday season creates a perfect storm of challenges: extremely high demand, a short selling season coupled with long vendor lead times, limited cash available to support increased inventory requirements, a bloated freight system, and inventory handling dependent upon over-stretched distribution center staff.
A Nose for Retail
It's estimated that as many as 20 companies worldwide specialize in the ambient scent marketing and dispersion technology space, with businesses valued between $80 million and $100 million.
Are Postcard Mailings Effective?
Sure, many multichannel retailers today are testing postcard mailings in an effort to drive web traffic in place of mailing catalogs. But, while mailing postcards is less expensive than catalogs, do they really work? And are they cost effective?
Facebook Ads Resonate With 36-55 Age Group for Norton
New channels are often stereotyped as "what the kids are doing," but increasingly social networks like Facebook and Twitter have turned out to be good places to reach older adults.
J.C. Penney Uses Haul Videos to Engage Back-to-School Shoppers
A new phenomenon called "haul videos," short product review videos where video bloggers (vloggers) show off their new swag to the whole world, is an important part of mega-retailer J.C. Penney's back-to-school marketing campaign this year.
Making a Name for Itself
Launched on June 23, 2009, as an online marketplace not unlike eBay, Alice.com enables CPG manufacturers to sell their household essentials — think toothpaste, laundry detergent, trash bags, toilet paper, etc. — direct to consumers. By making thousands of products typically not found online available for purchase, Alice.com has tapped into an underserved market, albeit surprisingly so to the company's founders.
The 4 Catastrophic Mistakes of Any 
E-Commerce Website Upgrade
How do you get the result you want out of your redesign or upgrade project? Start by avoiding the common mistakes that lead to costly project overruns, long delays and plenty of second-guessing.
The Dynamic Duo
When integrated, search engine marketing (SEM) and online display advertising can deliver far greater results than the same campaigns planned in isolation.
The Media and E-Commerce Connection
More and more, traditional media sites and magazines are entering the world of e-commerce, while more and more e-tailers are offering content that's very similar to what could be found in fashion magazines.
Trigger-Based Emails Help 
Onlineshoes.com Grow its Revenues
PROBLEM: Onlineshoes.com, an online retailer of women's, men's and kids' shoes and apparel, wanted to capture lost sales from consumers who either abandoned items in a shopping cart or browsed the site without making a purchase.
Understanding Postal: The USPS Price Increase Request
At press time, the USPS filed its request with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) for an "exigent" price increase to take effect January 2, 2011. The USPS proposed an average price increase of 5.6 percent. Increases for catalogs range from 4 percent to 10 percent, depending on the characteristics of the mailing.
